New Colonial Alliance
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- "From fire to blood."
- — NCA slogan[2]
The New Colonial Alliance (NCA) is an Insurrectionist group that was founded by UNSC Admiral Mattius Drake some time prior to January 2553.[3] The organisation was one of the foremost opposition groups to the Unified Earth Government in the early post-war era, managing to spark high degrees of civil unrest among human space and contributing to the near-destruction of the UNSC flagship Infinity on multiple occasions. At the onset of the Created uprising, Drake was assassinated and replaced as the head of the NCA by Ilsa Zane, who proceeded to align the organisation with the Banished.[1]
History[edit]
Attacks on UNSC Infinity[edit]
- Main articles: Raid on UNSC Infinity, Battle of Ealen IV, Ambush at Oth Lodon
While active, one of the primary targets of NCA attacks included the flagship of the UNSC Navy, UNSC Infinity; the first of the veritable Infinity-class supercarriers and (at the time of its construction) the most powerful warship ever fielded by humanity. In 2553 and 2558, the NCA launched multiple attempts to capture or destroy Infinity in an attempt to prevent it from being used to police the colonies and any attempt to break away from the Unified Earth Government, now that the Human-Covenant War was over.[4]
The first attempt, in January 2553, elements of the NCA led by SPARTAN-IV defector Ilsa Zane infiltrated the Infinity disguised as construction personnel and captured most of the bridge crew, using them as hostages. They then secured the ship's bridge in the hope of capturing the prototype UNSC flagship, threatening to vent the ship's atmosphere and kill everyone aboard it.[5] The attempt was foiled by Spartan forces aboard the Infinity and the boarders were all killed or captured. The prisoners revealed Admiral Drake as the organization's leader.[3]
Later in March 2558, the NCA once again attempted to attack UNSC Infinity, though this time to destroy the vessel. By this time, Captain Daniel Clayton, the illegitimate son of war hero Captain James Cutter, had joined the New Colonial Alliance. Clayton served as executive officer to Rear Admiral Horatio Temkin, the UNSC's ambassador to Sanghelios, giving Clayton access to classified information.[6] The captain informed Shipmaster Vata 'Gajat, a Sangheili mercenary from Jul 'Mdama's Covenant faction about the negotiation attempts between the Sangheili and Jiralhanae on Ealen IV. 'Gajat's forces foiled the negotiations when they attacked during the middle of the summit. Spartan Vladimir Scruggs, one of the Spartans deployed to protect the diplomats, was actually a double agent for the NCA and was tasked with killing the lead negotiators.[7][8]
As the ex-Covenant mercenaries distracted the envoy's bodyguards, Scruggs killed Spartan Fireteam Jackknife and the Jiralhanae and Sangheili warriors accompanying him. After informing Clayton of the act he informed Commander Palmer that the area was secure. Scruggs then took Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood hostage. Though he did not compromise his employer, Scruggs tried to convince Palmer that he knew of secretive machinations behind the UNSC and the Arbiter's inability to make peace with his enemies. Palmer killed her turncoat comrade before he could reveal anything further. Following the battle Fleet Admiral Hood and Captain Lasky of Infinity discussed that Scruggs could not have been the informant who led 'Gajat to Ealen IV; they realized that the security breach involved someone with much greater security clearance.[9]
After their failed assault on Ealen IV, 'Gajat and Captain Clayton lured Admiral Hood and the UNSC Infinity into a trap. They launched a freighter, the Pilgrims' Pride, which sent out a distress signal that was later picked up by Infinity. When Infinity arrived in the Artesia-702 system, it found the damaged freighter leaking atomic matter with faint life signs aboard and tugged the ship into one of its deployment bays. An ambush was sprung within the bay when the freighter set itself to self-destruct and multiple UNSC aircraft exited its cargo bay. The attack was repelled and Infinity later discovered the assault crafts used were from the UNSC Spirit of Fire.[10] Infinity tracked the freighter's origin to Oth Lodon where it found a Covenant space station operated by NCA forces. Captain Clayton revealed himself and his motives to Lord Hood and fired on Infinity with the station's energy projector.[6]
After firing several times the cannon overheated, forcing Clayton and the others to wait to bring it back online. The station then detected several OF92 Booster Frames and he ordered the station's smaller arms online. He asked 'Gajat to keep Infinity busy until they brought the cannon back online. 'Gajat however, questioning Clayton's vision, decided destroying the ship would get his faction more notability than working for Clayton. Five Spartan-IVs boarded the station and seized control of it, ordering everyone to freeze. Clayton told them not to listen, asking the Spartans if they knew who he was. One of them said they did know him and knocked him out with their sniper rifle for killing his friend Paul DeMarco during the Battle of Ealen IV. 'Gajat was killed when the Spartans aimed the station's energy projector at 'Gajat's ship. Clayton and the others were captured and brought aboard Infinity, and Clayton was transferred to Midnight Facility.[11]
Other activities[edit]
Aside from their attacks on UNSC Infinity, the NCA were prolific throughout human space and stirring anti-colonial sentiment in an effort to raise alliances against Earth and the Inner Colonies. After the news broke of the disastrous outcome of the human-Sangheili peace talks on Biko in early 2558, the NCA were quick to jump on the outrage caused by the apparent assassination of a diplomat by John-117. This included demonstrations and rallies across a number of colony worlds, with support resulting in thousands of attendees per-rally. The civil unrest sparked by the NCA resulted in UEG consulates shutting down on several worlds and law enforcement deployed to quell the unrest. In the rallies, NCA spokespeople preached their ideals of self-suffiency, boycotting the UEG, and the need to prepare for an inevitable embargo of their worlds by the UNSC (similar in nature to the one conducted over Gao during the Insurrection.[12]) For Katrina, this unrest resulted in power outages and service interruptions, with the general unrest further inflamed thanks to the ongoing investigation by Benjamin Giraud into the Office of Naval Intelligence's cover-up of the SPARTAN-II program and an inability to explain the deep-space anomalies a result of the Guardian Custodes' awakening.[13] The stir caused by the NCA, in conjunction with the other issues of the time, caused the UEG to shut down Waypoint buoys throughout human space - cutting off colony worlds from communication with one another. However, the later framing of Ben Giraud as an instigator working for the Sapien Sunrise terror organisation was intended to let the widespread anger simmer with Giraud as the target, followed by trade being allowed to resume and the buoys brought back online.[14]
Elsewhere, the NCA were busy corralling allies in various colonies by supplying military hardware in exchange for support.